The Treasure
by highland laurel
Summary: When they find a manumission paper in a burned-out cabin, Daniel and Mingo trail the occupants south to set free the captive family. Contains reference to the second season episode "Onatha" and historical references to slavery.
1. Chapter 1

_For where your treasure is, there will you heart be also._

_Matthew 6:21_

Chapter 1

The cabin was newly burned. Wisps of smoke still curled from the blackened logs. Cautiously Daniel approached. Behind him Mingo walked silently. Careful by nature, neither man spoke, communicating with gestures and expressions. Finally they crouched behind a screen of shrubs and surveyed the immediate area. Birds whistled and sang from the surrounding forest. Evidently whoever had burned the cabin was gone.

The late afternoon sun was dipping toward the distant horizon. Slowly Daniel rose and beckoned his companion. The two men split and circled the cabin, eyes to the ground, looking for the messages contained in the Kentucky soil. After searching for several minutes the two men reunited before the ruined door.

"It was a small party. From the sign I make 'em to be white. What about you Mingo?"

Mingo nodded his head silently. "Three, from the sign. The cabin's inhabitants were taken. I counted a man, a woman, and two children."

Daniel nodded his head in return, then looked at the golden afternoon sky. "It'll be dark soon. Let's make camp and head out in the mornin'. They 're headin' south, but with two children they won't make good time."

Mingo turned and melted into the forest to gather wood. Daniel constructed a fire ring and made a snug little camp about fifty yards upwind of the cabin near the smokehouse. He peeked inside and retrieved a haunch of bear meat. Mingo returned with the firewood and soon the two men were feasting on salted bear meat and strong coffee.

"You know Daniel, it's odd that only the cabin is burned. All the outbuildings are intact."

Mingo's observation brought several minutes of silence as the two men thought. Mingo continued, "It'll almost like the cabin contained something that needed to be destroyed." His dark eyes held his friend's as the idea took root in Daniel's mind. He nodded silently.

"Either that, or whoever lived here wouldn't come peaceable and the men who took 'em had to smoke 'em out."

"Maybe both." Mingo's eyes conveyed his confusion. "Or neither."

"Before we set out after 'em, maybe we'd best look around that cabin a little better. It should be cool enough by mornin' if we're careful."

Mingo responded by rolling into his blanket and scooting down beside the flickering fire. Daniel sat drinking his last cup of coffee as the summer moon reached cool fingers through the trees and caressed the fallen timbers of the still-smoking cabin.

In the gentle light of early morning Mingo nudged Daniel's foot and the frontiersman instantly opened bright green eyes to greet the day. He rose and stretched as Mingo stirred the morning fire. After a quick breakfast of bear meat washed down with hot black coffee the two men stepped over the ruined threshold and surveyed the earthen floor.

They split apart and carefully examined the base of every support log. Finding nothing, they each turned to the blackened fireplace. Using their knives they explored the fireplace for any loose stones. But the fireplace contained nothing out of the ordinary.

"Well, Mingo, that was a good idea we had but if they burned the cabin to get rid of somethin', I'd say they were successful."

Mingo nodded and started to rise from his crouched position. As he did his right knee bumped into a protruding stone. The sharp edge poked painfully beside the kneecap and caused the Cherokee to drop back to his knees. His left hand pressed on the edge of the hearth stones and his weight caused one rock to tip. The shift was just enough to show a vacant space beneath the rock. Curiously Mingo lifted the hearthstone to reveal a cavity about eight inches by six inches. In the bottom of the hole lay a metal box.

Mingo lifted the box and Daniel bent beside his friend. The lid was tight and Mingo used his knife to pry it loose. Inside the box was a folded piece of heavy paper. Carefully Mingo pulled it free of the box. When it was unfolded the two men exchanged a knowing glance. It was a manumission paper.

"Freed, April 22 1775, one Nemo, his slave wife Maida, and two children Zena and Leander. Signed: Jacob Matheson. Witnessed: Hadden Becket, Attorney at Law. Surry County Virginia." Mingo's voice solemnly read the words. Then he looked up into Daniel's eyes.

"It is unlikely that freed slaves would leave their manumission paper behind if they voluntarily abandoned their cabin."

Daniel frowned and nodded. "The three men who took 'em were white. But why?"

"Heading south, Daniel, I would assume these whites to be a type of bounty hunter. Once, when I was a boy, an escaped slave staggered into Chota telling of running from what he called 'slave catchers'. I've never forgotten the panic in his eyes. He wouldn't stay with us but continued on north after only an hour's rest. I never did know what became of him."

The two men stood silently for several minutes. Then Mingo raised his dark head. "Daniel, this family is free. Without the papers they can be sold to anyone. They can be split apart and sold to different buyers. We must go after them."

Daniel looked into Mingo's eyes, then nodded. "Yes, we must. This paper is from Virginia, and we are bound to her. These people are free citizens of Virginia. It's just the same as if one of our settlers were taken by the Shawnee." Mingo carefully replaced the paper in the metal box and placed it in his pack. Then while Daniel scattered the fire Mingo placed the remaining bear meat inside his pack. Less than five minutes later they were following the footprints, heading south.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

By evening the two men could tell the children were tiring rapidly. Their small footprints dragged at the heel. They found a scuffed place in the forest duff where the smaller one had fallen and been jerked up. The two tall men quickened their pace but halted when they noticed one set of footprints had disappeared.

"Her daddy's pro'bly carry'n her," Daniel said, his voice subdued and sad.

Mingo nodded, then bent and closely examined the tracks. He stood to his full height and looked back along their trail. Then he leaned in close and whispered in Daniel's ear.

"Her father's tracks are not heavier, Daniel. He's not carrying her. She's been hidden somewhere along the trail behind us. Look, two of the captors are ahead of the group. One split off behind us, probably to hunt. They stashed the child, Daniel."

Daniel's green eyes carefully searched the backtrail. He quietly began to retrace his footsteps. Mingo paralleled his friend, moving silently through the trees. Suddenly he stopped and motioned Daniel to stop. Between them was a thicket of berry bushes. Mingo spied the toe of one tiny shoe peeping beneath the leaves. He pointed down and Daniel slowly approached the thicket.

"Hello, there." Daniel made his voice soft and mellow, all his fatherly qualities coming to the forefront. "My name is Daniel. I see your foot peeking out under the bush so I know you're there. What's you name?"

The little foot jerked back and disappeared into the thicket. The child failed to appear and made no comment. Mingo stepped to Daniel's side and whispered. "She's probably thinking that we are the men who captured her. She won't respond. Let's just make a camp very near and wait for her."

Daniel nodded and the two quickly constructed a small camp against the base of three close-growing walnut trees. Mingo went to collect firewood while Daniel made a fire ring and carefully watched the berry thicket. The child reminded him of a fawn. Once placed, the little animal could be trodden upon before it would move. Mingo arrived and started a fire to brew the coffee. Then he took the pot and went in search of water. He returned after a half hour with an empty pot.

"There's no water that I could find, Daniel. We'll just have to sip from our water bags."

Daniel silently handed Mingo a piece of jerky and the two men sat down a few feet apart and began a conversation. Daniel sat facing the bushes, Mingo with his back to them. The child did not appear. Mingo leaned in and whispered an idea. Daniel nodded and the two began to sing one of Israel's favorite nonsense songs about a frog going courting. They made their voices light and the humorous verses spilled into the darkening forest. Suddenly they heard a soft giggle from the berry thicket. Daniel rose and stood before the bushes.

"I could reach in and take your hand, but I'd prob'bly get all scratched up. Why don't you come on out and join us for a sing? We haven't had any comp'ny for days and we'd sure like to meet you." Daniel knelt down to lessen the effect his tall frame would have on a frightened child. After several minutes the bushes parted and a tiny child emerged. Daniel extended his large hand and the child placed hers in his palm. Together they walked back to the fire.

Though Mingo carefully controlled his expression as Daniel was doing, the two men were very surprised at the child's appearance. Her hair was curly and seemed to be a light brown color. Her skin was pale and she bore no sign of having Negro blood. Mingo scooted over so she could sit beside him near the fire. He leaned over and gave her a piece of salted bear meat. She took it and gnawed hungrily. The friends exchanged a guarded glance.

"My name is Mingo. You already met Daniel. Won't you tell us your name so we can all be friends?"

The child looked up into Mingo's dark eyes and brown face framed with long black braids. She studied him for several seconds and then replied, "Zena."

"That's a very pretty name. Did your mother and father give you that name?"

The child nodded but did not speak again. She chewed and swallowed dryly. Mingo leaned over and gave her his water bag. She tilted it carefully and sipped the warm water. Then she handed it back to the man at her side.

"Where are your mama and papa?" Daniel looked across the fire at the little mite at Mingo's side.

The child raised her eyes but did not answer. Daniel looked at Mingo and shrugged. Mingo tried again. "We passed a cabin a few miles back that had just burned. There was a tight little smokehouse and a privy. It had a pretty rose bush in the yard. Was that your house?"

The child lowered her head and nodded. Mingo continued, "I am very glad that you weren't hurt when the cabin burned. Where are your mother and father? Did you run away from them?"

The child slowly shook her head. "You didn't? Then how did you come to be all by yourself hiding in a berry thicket?"

A slow tear coursed down the little girl's face. Mingo reached out and pulled her gently into his arms. She pressed her face into his shoulder and quivered in distress. He lifted her to sit on his lap as he slowly rocked and hummed to her. Daniel walked to sit beside them.

"Zena? Mingo and I want to help you. Will you let us do that? Please?" The child continued to press her face into Mingo's shoulder. Daniel's voice was warm and tender. He tilted his head to look into her face. "We like you. Don't you like us?"

The little head nodded against Mingo's leather vest. Daniel smiled down into her face.

"Daniel and I like you too. Won't you tell us what happened yesterday? Hmmmm?" Mingo's voice was soft and velvety. "Sit up now and tell us."

Zena did as Mingo asked. She brushed the backs of her hands across her tear-streaked face. Her light eyes sparkled in the firelight. With quivering voice the little girl told her story.

"The men came while we were eatin' breakfast. Mama made pancakes." Two tears rolled down her face at the memory. Daniel reached out and brushed them gently away. "They scared me. They yelled at Papa and pushed him. Mama hugged me real tight. Leander too. But the men pulled Lee away and pushed him onto the porch with Papa. Then they pulled Mama and me outside. They had big guns and talked real loud. Papa tried to talk to them but the one man hit him with his gun. Papa's head got all bloody."

Zena's voice caught in a sob as the memory hit her with full force. Mingo hugged her tightly and looked into Daniel's taut face. He shook his dark head warningly. Daniel nodded in assent and reached to pull the blanket from his pack. He draped it tenderly over the child in Mingo's arms. Mingo continued to slowly rock and hum, and soon the little girl's body was limp with slumber. Mingo carefully wrapped the blanket around her body and laid her on the ground. Then he and Daniel moved to the other side of the fire and talked together.

"Well Mingo, looks like we were right. Those men must be pushin' the family south back into slavery. How men can be so outright mean is a puzzle to me."

"It comes back to greed, Daniel. The man will probably fetch a high price, between 100 and 200 pounds sterling. He's in his prime. The wife will likewise bring a high price. The boy will bring less, but still a sizeable sum. Undoubtedly they will be sold to different buyers. We've got to catch them before they reach Savannah or Charles Town. Those are the likeliest destinations. What I don't understand is how the three men know this family."

"It doesn't really matter at this point. We need to hurry. They'll prob'bly whip the rest of 'em once they notice Zena's gone."

"I doubt that Daniel. These men want the best price possible, and whip marks will decrease the price."

Daniel frowned his doubt. Mingo continued to explain his thoughts. "Whip scars will indicate the slave is intractable. It will lower the amount another man will pay for such a troublesome hand. And whip scars on a woman makes her less desirable in other ways." Mingo's face was tight with his emotion and soon Daniel's face mirrored his friend's as he understood Mingo's unspoken implication.

"We should be able to catch'em tomorrow, Mingo. They've got the woman and boy to slow 'em down."

"And now we have Zena to slow us."

Daniel pursed his lips in thought. "Yeah, but you and me're used to the wilderness, and I somehow doubt their legs are as long as ours." Daniel grinned as he remembered all the times he and Mingo had to slow down to accommodate other companions. Mingo smiled in return and patted Daniel's shoulder. Their heavy moods lightened with their confidence.

"Then we'd best get some sleep. We'll have to take turns carrying Zena just like we did with Onatha. I'll watch first. Good night, Daniel. I'll wake you in a few hours." Mingo grasped his rifle and eased outside the circle of firelight. Daniel pulled Mingo's blanket loose, draped it around his shoulders and stretched full length upon the soft Kentucky soil beside the sleeping child. In minutes the sound of his heavy breathing blended with the night sounds as the moon made its nightly journey to join the morning.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Dan and Mingo had impressed upon Zena the need for her silence no matter what happened and the child had not cried for her mother. Her grey eyes held an expression of solemnity that troubled the men.

Though carrying Zena the two men caught the fleeing slave traders and their captive family before sundown the next day. The three slavers made a cold camp near a small rock outcropping. Through the trees Daniel and Mingo could see Zena's captive family. They had placed the little girl under a nearby small pine and cautioned her to remain there until they came for her. Then they crept forward to observe their quarry.

Both men studied the captives and their captors carefully. Minutes later they silently crept backwards to likewise create a cold camp a half-mile from the others. Daniel went to retrieve Zena as Mingo laid down for a quick nap. An hour later he awoke to find Zena asleep with her head in Daniel's lap and the big man's arm protectively across her little body.

Quietly Mingo stepped to Daniel's side and bent to discuss their observations.

"They undoubtedly have a guard placed. I can remove him and then we will have the element of surprise working against the other two. If we bind the three tightly, we should be able to cover much distance before they free themselves."

"I've been sittin' here thinkin' on that. Do you think we could find a Creek village nearby to stash 'em? I doubt Zena's mother is able to walk very fast. She looks about ready to deliver that child she's carryin'."

Mingo frowned. "Daniel, you do know that many of the nearby tribes including us Cherokee have begun to own black slaves?"

"Yeah, Mingo, but they don't look black. Shoot, Mingo, they AREN'T black. Look at Zena. Her mama and papa are both as white as she is. How could they have been slaves? Somethin' here doesn't make any sense to me. Those were _manumission_ papers you found, not indentured papers. Right?"

"Correct, Daniel, but the law states that if a person's mother was a slave, the child is also a slave. That's why the document names Zena and her brother also."

"Alright then. But that doesn't explain how two white people can be slaves."

"Yes it does, Daniel. They aren't white."

In the silence that followed Mingo's last words the two men stared at each other in the moonlight. Daniel's mind processed Mingo's words and a look of disbelief flashed across his open countenance. He opened his mouth to speak but Mingo cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"Both of Zena's parents must have had colored mothers. In the eyes of the law that makes them colored too. I know it makes no sense to you, Daniel. Be very glad that it doesn't. If you understood the thinking you would be much the same as those who keep their fellow man in bondage. Slavery is common in all cultures. Remember the Romans? Their slaves had highly specialized skills. Gladiators, grooms, teachers, as well as house servants and cooks."

Once again the Kentucky quiet settled over the camp. Mingo crawled from Daniel's side, draped his blanket over the sleeping child and Daniel's blanket around his friend's shoulders. Then, taking his rifle, he slipped into the surrounding forest to take his turn as guard. Daniel leaned back against the tree at his back and fell into a troubled sleep. Alert a few yards away, Mingo's thoughts also haunted his mind.

At first light Daniel and Mingo crept to the edge of the sleeping camp. The guard had been dispatched with a quick blow to the back of the head with the loaded butt of Mingo's whip. Signaling to each other, they silently rose and with cocked rifles stepped into the camp.

"Hope you don't mind but we're takin' your captives." Daniel's voice rang loudly against the camp's boulders. The two slavers rolled and grabbed their rifles but Daniel and Mingo both fired and disabled the other men's guns. Then Mingo uncoiled his whip menacingly. Involuntarily Zena's parents flinched at sight of the weapon and shielded their cowering son. Daniel stepped forward and threw the two broken rifles out of the camp. Mingo helped the trembling woman to stand as her husband lifted his son. He smiled at the frightened woman beside him.

"Don't be afraid. We found your burned out cabin and followed you here. We have Zena safely hidden back in our camp. We have come to rescue you. Please be at ease."

Daniel was already tying the slave traders to two separate trees yards apart from each other. He had relieved the two men of their knives and pulled their arms around each tree trunk. Then he bound their ankles.

"You cain't do this!" The man's voice was whiny and his face twisted in fear. "Injuns might come by and use us for target practice. You already busted our guns and took our knives. How're we supposed to defend ourselves? You've murdered us!"

"You can free yourselves. It'll take some doin', but it's possible. I think you'd best be puttin' you minds to that problem." Daniel tossed the two knives out into the surrounding brush.

He straightened and beckoned to Mingo. Mingo turned to the former captives and gestured. The man stepped forward and extended his hand to Mingo, then Daniel. "I'm Nemo, this is my wife Maida and our boy Leander. Didn't feel right comin' with you and you not knowin' our names."

Mingo and Daniel shook the man's hand. Then all five walked from the slaver trader's camp back to their own. They passed the third man also tied to a tree, still unconscious from Mingo's blow. The family hardly glanced at his limp body. Zena saw them coming and ran forward, her arms open wide to her mother. The weeping woman knelt and embraced her little daughter.

The two Kentuckians broke camp and were on their way in less than ten minutes. Daniel carried Zena and Mingo watched over Leander. Nemo supported his wife. After nearly two hours Nemo called for a halt. Maida was panting and struggling to keep up. Mingo and Daniel exchanged a glance, then Mingo trotted into the forest as Daniel helped Nemo lean his wife against a large elm. Daniel offered his water bag and the heavy woman gratefully drank. Zena and Leander also drank. Nemo refused until Daniel assured him that water would be found nearby.

The tired family and their tall protector sat and rested for nearly an hour. Mingo returned and reported that a deep cave existed about two miles to the northwest. He had also found a small stream not far from the cave. It would be an ideal resting place.

Nemo and Daniel pulled Maida to her feet. With an arm around her shoulders, Nemo started in the direction Mingo indicated. With Zena in his arms Daniel followed. Leander walked behind Daniel. Mingo walked in the rear, acting as protector to the small band.

In an hour the exhausted party entered the cave. It was rather like a long tunnel that extended deep into the earth. Its sloping floor was damp. Ten feet inside the tunnel Daniel stopped and set Zena on her feet.

"You folks rest. Mingo'n I'll make this place comfortable and get some water for coffee. Be back in a bit." Daniel followed Mingo out of the cave and together the two men gathered armfuls of forest duff and evergreen branches to place on the cave's damp, cold floor. They spread their blankets over the material and helped Maida, Zena and Leander lay back to sleep. Leaving Nemo standing guard with Mingo's knife in his hand, the two friends split apart.

They quickly gathered large armfuls of firewood, built a fire, and spoke words of encouragement to the weary travelers. Mingo filled the coffee pot with water from the nearby stream and returned to the cave. Daniel disappeared into the woods to hunt. When he returned two hours later with a fat doe, he and Mingo knelt beside each other and prepared the carcass.

"Where are we taking these people, Daniel? They have no cabin and Maida is near the time of delivery. I worry that she will go into labor before we can get her back to the settlement."

Daniel nodded. "Me, too. I was thinkin' to take 'em to Boonesborough. Then after the baby comes they can go back to their place and rebuild if they want to. Or they can stay in Boonesborough. Their cabin is awful far away from anyone else. They'd be a sight safer nearer a settlement."

The two men worked in silence for several minutes. Suddenly Daniel cleared his throat.  
"Mingo, I been thinkin' about this since yesterday. Nemo and Maida both look white. Nemo's hair is near straight and almost red. Maida's eyes are as blue as Rebecca's. Zena's skin is like milk. And Leander's skin is like coffee, his dark hair is real curly and he's got brown eyes. Do you think maybe he's not really their boy?"

"No, Daniel. It is quite possible that Leander is their child just as Zena is their child. This is the quandary of classifying people by skin color. Leander faces a lifetime of difficulty that his full sister will not face simply because of his appearance. I knew a family like them in Williamsburg years ago. There were four children in the family, and three looked like Leander but one was as light-skinned as Zena. They were all slaves of a wealthy merchant there."

Mingo's voice faded away as the memories overtook his mind. Beside him Daniel sliced the venison into thin strips for roasting. Neither man spoke as their hands performed the familiar tasks while their minds explored the unfairness of man's world and the irrationality of prejudice.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Mingo sat alone and stared at the stars above him. He was sitting near the mouth of the cave standing his time as guard. Midnight had passed and Daniel had roused him from a troubled sleep. His mind wandered to the slave family he had known in Williamsburg. All the years he had lived in exquisite freedom they had been enslaved. Having escaped a kind of bondage himself he had a better understanding of the family now in his care.

Upon his return to Boonesborough he planned to seek out Rebecca and discuss his new understanding with her. She too had known people in bondage as indentured servants. Likewise Jericho Jones. His scholarly mind reached for understanding. His compassionate heart reached with a different purpose.

The sound of footsteps broke his reverie. He recognized Nemo's footsteps and relaxed against the cave wall. The other man sat beside him and gazed at the heaven bright with summer stars. They sat in silence for several minutes, then Nemo sighed and turned to face the Indian beside him.

"Mr. Boone said you're a Cherokee, but your father is white. Like mine."

Mingo nodded and waited for the other man's questions to begin.

"Am I bothering you? I don't want to do that. I owe you and Mr. Boone more than I could repay in a life time. You had no cause to come after us, no stake in our freedom, yet you interfered and freed us. Why did you do that?"

"It was the right thing to do. We could tell from the look of your place that whoever lived there was taken by force. We knew that you had children with you. Neither Daniel nor I turn our backs when we know someone needs our help. It really is as simple as that."

Nemo's eyes flashed in the darkness as he searched Mingo's face. "I'm sorry. It's just that I don't trust anyone anymore. Master Matheson was good to me and mine. He was a fair man. But his boy's wife is a mean woman and she sent those men after us, even though we were set free when the master died. She just didn't like knowin' that her husband's daddy set us all free. Me and mine rankled the worst because we look white and my wife is actually kin to her husband. She didn't want that fact to ever come out."

Mingo sighed deeply at Nemo's recitation. He looked at the other man's pale skin and light eyes. Once again he shook his head at the insanity of slavery.

"I know that you and Mr. Boone won't try and enslave us. I was worried at first when you took us. We have papers back at the cabin to prove what I'm tellin' you. If you'll come with me after we get Maida safely to Boonesborough, I can show you."

"That's not necessary, Nemo. I…"

Nemo broke into Mingo's sentence with his own. "It is necessary Mingo. That way you'll never have any doubt about what I'm tellin' you."

Mingo smiled and stood. "Stay here. I'll be right back." He melted into the darkness of the cave and returned with a small metal box in his hand. Gently he handed the box to Nemo, who took it carefully. His light eyes lit with joy when he found the papers safely folded inside.

"You found it! You knew all along that we were freed slaves. You risked yourselves for a family of slaves. Why?"

"I told you why, Nemo. It was the right thing to do. You are free citizens of Virginia, and Kentucky is bound to Virginia. Therefore you are free citizens of Kentucky. But it would not have mattered. We would have followed you even if you were escaped slaves. To both of us, slavery is wrong. We would have taken you from those who held you captive even if we did not know you were free."

Nemo silently looked down at the paper in his hands. "Mingo, life is going to be hard for Leander. Do you think he'll be accepted in Boonesborough? Are you?"

Mingo pursed his lips for a few seconds, then carefully answered the worried father. "Nemo, as with all people there are some in Boonesborough that judge another by the color of his skin. I have experienced that firsthand. But there are also others that do not. It will not be easy for Leander, and I can see that such strife may drive a wedge between him and the rest of your family. I also think that you and your wife can help him through that strife. More than this I cannot tell you."

Nemo nodded and squeezed Mingo's arm in silent gratitude. Then he rose and walked into the cave to finish out the night. When dawn broke Mingo entered the cave and found the family side by side on the pallet of evergreen boughs. Daniel sat up and stretched.

A quick breakfast was made and then the three men discussed their options. Daniel and Mingo thought it best for one of them to return to Boonesborough, get some saddle horses and come back so the children and Maida could ride rather than walk. Two days would be spent. If Maida and the children tried to walk, the time would be much longer. Nemo listened to their argument and agreed with the other two men. Daniel shouldered his pack, hefted his rifle and saluted them as he stepped out of the cave.

Maida lay sleeping on the evergreen pallet. The two children lay beside her, also sleeping. Nemo stood looking down at his family, tenderness beaming from his face. Mingo went to check the nearby surroundings. The summer day was alive with bird song and insect buzz. When he returned Nemo was also asleep beside his family. Mingo climbed a nearby sweet gum and surveyed the wider area. There was no sign of the slave traders. He sat perched in the tree for several hours, enjoying the rocking motion as the tree swayed in the summer breeze.

In the late afternoon he climbed back down and went to join the happy family. They ate their meal of roasted venison and drank black coffee. Mingo told Cherokee tales and the Mathesons told tales they had heard from their African slave fellows. Then the family sang spirituals they had learned and Mingo sang Cherokee and English songs. The fire burned brightly and the new bonds brought pleasure to all five people.

Nemo insisted on standing watch and Mingo turned over his rifle with thanks. He curled up before the little fire and fell quickly asleep. Maida and the children lay side by side on the blanket and joined him in peaceful slumber.

Late in the evening of the following day Daniel arrived with the horses. Beside him was Rebecca. Mingo lifted her down and hugged her in greeting. Introductions were quickly made and Rebecca took over the camp cooking. She would accept no help from Maida. Instead she offered her soft wool shawl and beckoned the weary woman to sit and watch. The two children played tag through the trees near the cave mouth. Mingo and Daniel picketed the horses and cared for them while Nemo took a bucket to the stream for water.

The meal was ready in no time and everyone relaxed and ate Becky's pot of venison stew, sopping up the broth with chunks of her freshly made bread. The seven happy people sang the moon up, then bedded down for the night. Becky distributed the blankets she had brought, then she and Daniel went to bed beneath the trees. Mingo took the first watch, promising to waken Nemo at midnight. Soon the immediate vicinity was filled with the quiet slumber of easy minds and happy hearts.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Baby Artemis was born the second day after the family's arrival in Boonesborough. His skin was the color of molasses and his eyes were a dark brown. His curly red hair was full and coarse. Nemo sat alone holding his newborn son as Rebecca tended to Maida. Zena was fascinated by her new brother's skin and kept running her little white fingers over his smooth cheek. Leander sat brooding near the fireplace.

"Son." Nemo's voice was quiet in the early evening dusk. "Come here, Leander, and see you new baby brother."

"No." The boy's voice was harsh and angry.

"What's wrong, son? Tell me, please."

Leander stood to face his father, his hands clenched into tight fists. "You heard them yesterday. Don't pretend you didn't. Those people. What they said about me. They'll say it about him too. He's darker than me even. They'll hate him and think he's only good for a slave. You know it same as me, only you're too scared to say so."

The boy's volume rose as his anger and hurt escaped. "You're white, Papa. You could leave me and him and run away. You'd take Zena, but you'd leave me and him. You know you could. Mama too. You three could blend right in with these folks. But what about me and him, Papa? What about us?"

Zena stood frozen beside her father. She stared at Leander, then at her father. Her little face quivered as she absorbed her brother's anger and her father's hurt.

Nemo stood just as Rebecca came through the curtain. Her pretty face was filled with understanding and sympathy. She glanced at Nemo and took the baby from his arms. She disappeared behind the curtain and handed the child to Maida. When she reentered the room she saw that father and son were standing stiffly several feet apart. She bent and took Zena's hand. Shaking her red head in aggravation, she slipped through the door with the child and into the Kentucky darkness.

Minutes later a flat-handed knock sounded on the heavy door. Nemo opened the door and stood silently gazing out at Daniel and Mingo. The two tall men entered and saw Leander standing with clenched fists just as Rebecca had reported to them inside Cincinnatus' taproom. Daniel cleared his throat.

"Let's see your new boy, Nemo. Becky tells us he's strong and healthy."

Nemo silently nodded, ducked behind the curtain and emerged with the baby in his arms. Daniel lifted the blanketed bundle in his arms as Mingo stood at his elbow, their faces reflecting tenderness in the firelight. The baby squirmed in Daniel's arms and opened his bright dark eyes. Mingo reached out a finger and the child grasped it strongly. Mingo's face split into a wide smile.

"He _is_ strong, Nemo, strong and healthy. Just as Rebecca said. You must be very happy. And Maida is well too?" Mingo smiled into Nemo's troubled eyes. "Your family is growing, just as the territory is growing. But not everyone is suited to life on a frontier. There can be great freedom here. There can also be great restriction." Mingo's dark eyes searched Nemo's face as his meaning penetrated the other man's mind. Behind them Leander sighed deeply.

"Where could we go, Mingo? I thought that the wilderness would be safe. There would be no slave catchers, no masters, no slaves. But it seems we've brought the issue with us, in our bodies. We cannot escape what is in our blood." The agonized father stared at his son's angry face.

Mingo turned and stepped close beside Leander. He bent to look into the boy's face. "How old are you? Seven? Eight?"

Leander glanced at Mingo from the corner of his light brown eyes. "Ten."

Mingo's eyebrows raised in surprise. Then he reached his brown hand to the boy's shoulder. "Leander, no one will ever say that your life is easy. But it can be good. You have a family that loves you. Your father and mother want a good life for you, for all you children born and yet unborn. You can help that become a reality, or you can cause yourself a lifetime of uncertainty and anger.

It is your choice. I watched you on the trail to Boonesborough. You are a strong, helpful, cautious boy. Your mother, sister and baby brother need your help. Are you going to deny them?"

Nemo walked to Leander's side and laid his hand on his son's head. "Mingo is telling you the truth, son. We want you with us, wherever we are. Do you want to go away from here?"

"Where can we go, Papa, where people won't call us names and say mean things about us? Where people won't think me and him are stupid because of our skin? Where they won't think we're thieves or worse just because we aren't white?"

Nemo looked up into Mingo's face, seeking the other man's guidance.

Behind them Daniel's voice drifted through the quiet cabin. "Nemo, I was raised in Quaker company. Most Quakers don't judge a man by his skin color, his blood, or his family connections. Could be Pennsylvania is the place for you. I seem to remember you tellin' us that your master taught you a trade. Carpentry, wasn't it? And Maida knows sewing and fine laundry. She could be a lady's maid or open a shop. There are many wealthy households in Philadelphia. Perhaps you could find a place there to raise your children as free from prejudice as man is capable of being."

Nemo stood looking into the fire for several minutes. Then he raised his head and looked at his son standing motionless beside him. The baby in Daniel's arms gurgled and sighed. The father took his baby from Daniel's arms and sat before the fire, pulling Leander to lean against him. Mingo stepped to Daniel's side and the two men left the family to its quiet cabin and turbulent thoughts.

Rebecca reported the family's decision at the supper table the next evening. She had taken Zena back to her parents and found the household making preparations to leave Boonesborough as soon as Maida felt strong enough.

"They're happy, Dan. They think that your suggestion is right for them. I do hope so! They're such good people. It's tragic what people do to each other. There are days when I think the world is finally making sense, and then I meet people like the Mathesons." She sighed and shook her red head in sorrow.

"People are fallible beings, Rebecca. I think Daniel's idea is as right for them as anything can ever be. Isn't there a passage in the Bible that says the sins of the fathers will come back even to seven generations?"

Rebecca looked at Mingo in surprise. "Yes, there is. Are you saying someone somewhere committed a sin and Nemo and Maida and their children are paying for it now?"

"Yes, Rebecca, that's exactly what I'm saying. I'm speaking of enslaving others. It is expanding throughout the world. And as this abhorrent practice continues in the colonies and elsewhere in the Empire men of the future will face a blood cleansing. I have little faith that it can be any other way."

The three friends sat around the table in silence, each with their own thoughts. Rebecca sighed and rose from the table. She gathered the dishes and spent the next half hour putting her cabin to rights. Daniel and Mingo stepped out onto the porch to continue their discussion.

"There's still hope Mingo. Maybe future generations can figure a way out of this belief system that likes to pigeonhole people."

Mingo's face reflected his disagreement. "I don't see how, Daniel. I have heard that blind people are prejudiced just like those of us with sight. How can that be? There must be something in the human heart, some fear or doubt that makes us so savage. Why else would Cherokee and Shawnee war against each other for generations? There is room for all, yet we squabble and fight as though by sharing we lose what we consider ours." Mingo shook his head in puzzlement. "Maybe we are only primal beasts, Daniel, and there is nothing within us to set us apart from the lower animals."

"No, there is something in people Mingo. Else you and me would never have followed those slave catchers. We didn't know the Mathesons. They were nothin' to us. And if we were just beasts, when we found the Mathesons we'd a' left 'em where we found 'em once we saw Leander. There's still hope. Men like you and me, women like Rebecca and Maida, children like Israel and Jemima……and like Zena, Artemis and Leander. There's the hope." Daniel turned his head and smiled at his Cherokee friend. "And knowin' you makes me feel as hopeful as all get-out. Let's go in and see if Becky's got some of that pie left. I think she saved you a piece. Maybe I could get you to share it?"

Mingo smiled and slapped Daniel on the shoulder. The two firm friends entered the firelit cabin to share good food and friendship. They laughed together and lived their lives as well as they knew how. The future they left to others.


End file.
